Usually so busy that you'll have to wait in line for a table, Kenner Seafood is both a restaurant and a small seafood market. In the latter, they specialize in boiled seafood, and seem to go to greater lengths than most places to obtain crustaceans to render red and spicy. That's the best part of this place. At the tables, you're offered the entire spectrum of local casual seafood--fried, stuffed, broiled, or grilled. The menu is fleshed out with a long list of poor boys and a few miscellaneous platters, all at prices a shade below the market average. For reasons that elude me, the clientele is rabidly enthusiastic about the food here. I was stopped four times on the way to the table one night and touted on six dishes. At eating time, though, I've had absolutely nothing here that rose above the level of ordinariness. What wasn't overfried was underfried. What wasn't oily was dry. And the only way I can figure that somebody would be impressed by the likes of the crabmeat au gratin or the oyster Rockefeller soup is that they've never had another version anywhere else. I must be missing something, because this is one jam-packed house full of satisfied customers. Convenience, maybe? I don't live in Kenner.
Usually so busy that you may have to wait in line for a table, Kenner Seafood is both a restaurant and a small seafood market. In the latter, they specialize in boiled seafood, and seem to go to greater lengths than most places to obtain crustaceans to render red and spicy. So you might see boiled crabs here when nobody else in town has them.
Kenner Seafood opened in 1997 in the University City section of Kenner, a neighborhood full of modest family homes. Most of the residents are drenched in New Orleans culture and immediately recognized a classic local seafood house when they saw one.
After driving up to a stark building with the look of a parts store on the outside, you enter a much nicer-looking dining room, with brick walls and brick-reminiscent floors. It's longer than it is wide, with the bar adding to that dimension. The bar is always busy with those waiting for tables. Even the regulars have to admit that the service is something less than sharp. I suspect that most of what I've eaten here would have been better had it been delivered sooner. Make a big point of getting your boiled seafood hot.
I suspect that most of what I've eaten here would have been better had it been delivered sooner. Make a big point of getting your boiled seafood hot.
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| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 1 |
| Service | 0 |
| Value | 1 |
| Wine | 0 |
